Low-Maintenance Retreat in Norway: Summer House Skåtøy

Summer House Skåtøy was designed by Oslo-based studio Filter Arkiteketer and consists of a lovely summer cottage located on an island, South coast of Norway. The request of the client was for the architects to create a retreat opened towards the archipelago, while maintaining private outdoor areas. The project developers explain: “The starting point was an existing cottage from around 1940, damaged by dry rot. The new project is built on the footprint of this old cottage. The topography of the site is reflected in the section as two volumes; one volume containing a “sleeping cabin” (a sleeping area) cutting into another elongated volume containing the living and dining areas. These volumes create private outdoor space on the upper level connected to private outdoor space on the lower level. The Client wanted a maintenance free summer house. This resulted in a building clad in untreated timber, dry stone walls and sedum on the roof.”A simple, ingenious design solution for an elegant and cozy home–enjoy it as much as we do?